How Will We Get to the Beach? [Hardcover]

Brigitte Luciani (Author), Eve Tharlet (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up

One beautiful summer day Roxanne decides to go to the beach. She loads up the car with everything she wants to take with her: the turtle/ the umbrella/ the book of wonderful stories/ the ball/ and/ of course/ her baby. But the car won't start. Undaunted, Roxanne decides to take the bus to the beach. But something can't go on the bus. Whenever Roxanne comes up with a new way to get to the beach she discovers she must leave something behind-and children will have great fun guessing just what's missing each time.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2-Roxanne is headed for the beach on a beautiful summer day. She is taking her baby, an umbrella, a book, a ball, and their turtle. Getting there proves to be quite an adventure. First, the young woman's car breaks down. Then each alternate form of transportation-a bus, a bicycle, a skateboard, a kayak, and a hot-air balloon-is unsuitable because one of the five items doesn't fit. Each time, readers must guess which one it is. Finally, a farmer with his horse and cart comes along and gives Roxanne and her entourage a lift. The writing is spare, yet the story flows seamlessly. The repeated phrase "But something couldn't go with them. What was it?" ties each adventure together and keeps readers wondering how Roxanne is going to get to her destination. The vivid illustrations convey all the effort and frustration that she experiences. Though on the surface the colorful pictures appear simple, details abound: a ladybug, the baby's pacifier, and the turtle, which on occasion is tied to Roxanne's head. This book also introduces the concepts of color (red, orange, yellow, green, and blue) and counting. Text and pictures mesh beautifully. Toddlers will love the uncomplicated story, while older preschoolers will be involved in guessing what must be left behind. An absolute delight.
Elaine Lesh Morgan, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

This clever guessing-game story will sharpen observation skills in a fun way. Roxanne sets off for the beach with five things: a turtle, an umbrella, a book, a ball, and her baby. When her car won't start, resourceful Roxanne tries alternate methods of transportation: bus, bike, skateboard, even a kayak. Each time something has to be left behind, and youngsters are asked to identify the item. The illustrations play a key role, and Tharlet's perky pictures are up to the challenge. The five objects are depicted in bright colors while almost everything else in the scene is muted, making it easy for youngsters to spot the items and identify what is missing. The guessing game can be modified depending on the age and ability of the audience. For example older kids might be asked to use reasoning skills instead of the pictures to identify which of the five items can't go on the bus. And since colors play a dominant role, the book can also be used with younger children for color identification activities. Interactive fun. Lauren Peterson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 36 pages
• Publisher: North-South Books; First Edition edition (April 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0735812683
• ISBN-13: 978-0735812680
• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 8.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #296,861 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A GUESSING GAME BOOK THAT IS ACTUALLY WELL DONE, September 14, 2007

By 

D. Blankenship (The Ozarks) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: How Will We Get to the Beach? (Paperback)

Briefly, we have a young lady who wants to go to the beach with her baby and sets out to do so. She has quite a number of items she wants to take with her and after their car breaks down, she must find some sort of transportation to use rather than her broken car. Each mode she attempts to use has some drawback, i.e. the item, such as the bal, a turtle, etc. will not fit. The reader and the child must guess what item she is unable to take. This is fun and the little ones seem to like it. The writing is simple and repetative. The art work is great and quite eye catching and has charming details - it is funny. It has a rather European flavor to it which is kind of nice. The story flows perfectly with the illustratons. Brigitte Luciani is a good story teller and you certainy cannot fault the skill of the artist, Eve Tharlet. This book is perfect for preschoolers and 1st and maybe 2nd graders. This review is of the hardback edition. I do highly recommend this one.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book gets five stars from my five-year-old!, June 29, 2000

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Esme R. Codell "planetesme.com" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: How Will We Get to the Beach? (Hardcover)

A mother wants to go to the beach, and like any good planner, wants to bring a few things: a turtle, an umbrella, a book, a ball, and of course, her baby. But every time she tries to get there, the mode of transportation makes it so she has to leave something behind...which she is not willing to do. What is missing in each picture? Little ones will enjoy guessing, and they will also enjoy finding the teeny ladybug in each picture. I liked the Mama's aplomb as she searches for the perfect solution to her problems (look at the picture where she wears the turtle like a bicycle helmet!). My little guy wants this book read over and over, and with this charming interactive adventure, it's my pleasure!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quite a find!, April 15, 2008

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Joyce Bibzak "Nana the teacher" (Mokena, IL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: How Will We Get to the Beach? (Paperback)

This beautifully illustrated book is translated from the original French, but the story is sure to keep children ages 4 through 6 engaged and thinking as they figure out from one page to the next, which beach item is missing. I can imagine teachers using this with little cut outs of the beach-bound items so that children can solve each page's mystery as the story continues. A great find.